Jam roly poly recipe

Jam roly polyPhoto: Illustration by Lucy Vigrass

By Rose Prince

7:30AM GMT 01 Jan 2009

With their reputation trashed by bad school cooks, it is not easy to make the case for suet puds. Most of us recall slabs of greasy pastry with not enough jam in the roly poly or spotted dick with too few spots. And who wants to eat a pudding that carries a health warning? The answer is anyone who wants cheering up. No one is suggesting you eat it every day, and, made well, jam roly poly can nearly be called 'light’.

Be generous with the jam, though, says the chef Phil Vickery, whose great book Proof of the Pudding (Simon & Schuster) is one I often turn to. And buy good-quality jam and natural suet – dry Atora suet is made from pure beef fat and flour, and makes an airy pastry. You need to have a large steamer ready, on the boil, before you make the pudding. Cook it as soon as the dough is rolled up, or it will be heavy.

Cut two pieces of baking paper into 40 x 40cm squares. For six servings, place 225g of white self-raising flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt and 115g of suet. Stir in 55g of caster sugar and one beaten egg. Add up to four tablespoons of cold water to mix to a soft dough that is not too sticky. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface into a rectangle measuring 30?x? 37cm; spread with a thick layer of fruity raspberry jam and quickly roll it up. Cut it in two, then wrap each pudding comfortably (meaning quite loosely) in a sheet of baking paper, twisting the ends tightly. Place the puddings in the simmering steamer, put on the lid, and cook for about an hour or until they feel firm when squeezed. Unwrap and serve with a mass of hot custard – the only sauce to eat with jam roly poly.

Buying the goods

The jam Ouse Valley makes the fruitiest, sloppiest jams. Its raspberry is a classic, but be adventurous and try roly poly with the mixed plum or damson, £3.40 for 340g (01273-891893; ousevalleyfoods.com).